


Blood, sweat, & dust

by GreaseMonkey



Category: RWBY
Genre: Angst and Humor, Best Friends, Canon Compliant, Canon Related, Canon Universe, Canon-Typical Violence, Canonical Character Death, Developing Friendships, Explicit Language, Gen, Mild Sexual Content, Partial Nudity, Plot, Tags Are Fun, Will be adding more tags as needed
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-12-22
Updated: 2018-04-06
Packaged: 2019-02-18 09:51:39
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,555
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13097583
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GreaseMonkey/pseuds/GreaseMonkey
Summary: Follows the exploits of Beacon first-year Team CLWD during the events of the show, plot runs mostly parallel to canon events.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Follow my Tumblr, firehazard-entertainment.tumblr.com

Chapter 1: New Beginnings

It was September in Vale, summer just starting to lose its grip on the kingdom and slowly allowing fall to take its place. Along with the start of colder weather, autumn marked the beginning of a new school year at Beacon Academy; one of the four premier schools that taught aspiring Huntsmen and Huntresses their craft. One of these young warriors was Chrys Xifos, the blonde teen watching the city pass beneath the cruiser that carried him and a few dozen students from the towns and villages surrounding the main city.

Chrys turned from his window as the news story that had been playing on the ship's tv screens was cut off, a woman with half-moon shaped glasses and pale blonde hair pulled into a tight bun now occupying the screen. The woman directly addressed the ship's passengers, introducing herself as Glynda Goodwitch and going on about what an honor it was for them to be attending Beacon. Largely uninterested in what she was saying the teen’s dark brown eyes returned to looking out at the city. He hadn’t seen his friend Luna on board despite both having been accepted into the school, though she lived in the city proper so she was most likely making the trip on foot.

As the ship began to turn towards the dock he was presented with his first real look at Beacon. The academy was a trio of large stone structures, with the main building containing the living quarters and most class rooms at the center. The main building was topped by a large spire visible for miles around which housed the headmaster's office and the CCTS relay. All of this he knew from what his mother had said about the school when talking of her own time as a student here. When they came to a stop and the doors opened, he waited for the eager mass of students to disembark before grabbing his own bags and descending the gangway, suddenly feeling rather eager to be on solid ground once more.

High above the school, William Slate was having similar thoughts. The flight from Atlas had been a long one spent in the relative quiet of the custom bullhead's comfortable interior; modified to allow Slate Technologies executives to travel in safety and comfort, should a cruiser not be appropriate or readily available. That being said, the company heir thought as he shifted his muscular form, it had been designed for short trips between Atlas' main cities; there was little on board in the way of entertainment.

Garbled radio chatter from the cockpit caught his attention, quiet enough that he couldn’t understand what was being said, only catching his pilot identify themselves and the eventual confirmation of something. The pilot confirmed his suspicions as to what was being discussed a moment later;  
“Mister Slate, we're beginning our approach to the school, should be docked in five.”  
“Aye, thank you Sean,” Will replied, standing and straightening his attire; a dressed-down Atlesian military uniform, the jacket stored away and the sleeves of his pale grey button-up pushed up past his elbows. The shirt was tucked into a tailored pair of white slacks, the toes of his black leather boots poking out from under the hem.

The Atlesian wasn’t super particular about his appearance, but that was no excuse to be a slouch, he reminded himself as he ran his fingers through his shoulder-length grey hair. Will now wished that he'd not overslept and had time to shave that morning, a fine dusting of stubble covering his lower jaw; though his mother had said that it made him look rugged, which he hasn’t decided was a good thing just yet.

The shuttle set down a moment later with nary a bounce, William securing his sword and shield to his back before opening the bay door with the push of a button. Descending the ramp with bags in hand, he waved off a pair of bots that offered to take his bags, content to carry them himself; unlike the middle Schnee child who he noticed had landed to his right.

Half-way across the grounds he looked to the heiress in time to see a blur of red which dissolved into a girl collide with the Weiss. A chuckle escaped him as he carried on towards the entrance, hearing the Schnee heiress giving the other girl a lecture only a Schnee could.

Across the courtyard, Danica Carnelian was lost in thought behind her sunglasses, heels clicking on the cobblestones of Beacon's courtyard as she made her way across the grounds. Her Aunt had been right when she said that Vale was great this time of year; the sun was shining, and the early fall breeze felt good tugging at the auburn hair that hung to her shoulder blades. Her aunt had been concerned with her attending school outside of Vacuo, but Danica had convinced the ex-huntress that this is what she wanted so eventually her aunt accepted her decision.

So far Vale had lived up to expectations; great food, lots of architecture and historic sites, and a climate that she could tolerate in comparison to the blistering heat she was used to back in the desert kingdom she called home. Not to mention that the people were nice…

_Well most are_ , she thought with a scowl as she saw a group of boys picking on a short girl with long dark green hair, a fluffy tail poking out of her back marking her as a Faunus. The boys were passing something back and forth with the poor girl trying to get it back from them. The sight made her blood boil.

“Give it back, Cardin,” she could hear the girl pleading as she moved wordlessly towards the group which only served to urge her onward. She waited until one tossed what she could now see was a silver locket, the front of the case engraved with a crescent moon, to his buddy before she moved in and intercepted the throw, stepping in front of the larger boy.

“Hey, what gives?” he asked as she tossed the item back to the victim of their teasing. When she ignored him and began to walk away with the Faunus, he reached out and grabbed the red head's right arm, “I’m talking to you, bitch.”

Now she answered him, her semblance allowing her to literally slip through his fingers as she became incorporeal for a split second. Ignoring the sore feeling coming from her wrist where he had grabbed her, she turned and slugged him across the jaw with enough force to knock the bully on his ass.

Shooting the other guy a dirty look, she lead the Faunus away with a hand behind their back, grumbling “assholes" under her breath.  
“You ok?” Danica finally asked the other girl, looking at her from the corner of her eye.  
“Yeah… thanks,” the Faunus nodded, looking more annoyed than shaken.

Danica nodded in return, the pair walking in silence momentarily before the red head spoke, “I'm Danica, by the way, call me Dani.”

“Luna Pines,” the girl replied after a second, “why, why did you help me?”

Danica was a little surprised by the question, “well, for one I hate bullies.”

“And second?”

“I think you’re cute,” the red head said with a mischievous smirk.

“I don't, I'm not, oh dear,” Luna stammered as her cheeks burned.

Danica laughed as the petite girl sputtered and turned bright red, “Shame, I guess I can settle for friends then… if you want.”

“Uh… sure,” Luna chuckled, now realizing the other girl was just teasing, “Are you new in Vale?”

“Yep,” Danica nodded as they headed towards the main entrance, “I’m from Vacuo actually, you?”

“I'm from Vale,” the Faunus answered as they began to enter the crowd of students trying to enter the school, conversation getting hard for the soft-spoken girl to maintain. Luna found herself unconsciously holding on to Danica's arm, part of her not wanting to get separated from her new friend in the chaos.

The entrance to the main hall was a pair of large wooden doors, each nearly ten feet high, which were surprisingly light. A staff member, or perhaps a student volunteer, took their bags off to the temporary quarters before they were directed to the front of the room where students were gathering in wait for the headmaster to address them.

Following a speech from the Academy's headmaster, Professor Ozpin, welcoming them all to the school, the students were separated by gender and escorted to where they would be staying the night until teams were formed and quarters were assigned the next day. Danica and Luna grabbed bedrolls close to each other, the Faunus having decided to stay near the red head for now.

“You nervous about tomorrow?” Danica asked, propped up against the wall at their backs on her sleeping bag.

“A little,” Luna admitted, “I only know a few people here, you included, so I’m a little worried about who I’ll be teamed with.”

“I’m not super worried, but it’s gonna be hard not knowing anybody.”

“Yeah…” the Faunus nodded, eager to change the subject, she spotted something that resembled a pistol grip poking out of Danica's luggage, “That your weapon?”

Danica blinked before following her friend's gaze, pulling the weapon from her bag, “This? Yeah, this is Heart Breaker.”

Heart Breaker at first resembled a pistol-grip rifle with a helical magazine mounted horizontally along the bottom of the dark red rifle body. With a flick of her wrist a pair of red and silver, single-edged blades slid forward from the body and unfolded to their full 3 foot length. Just as quickly the blades retracted, only for an eighteen-inch barrel to spring forth from between the parallel blades, a stock unfolding from the rear, and a pair of sights popping out the top.

“Nice,” Luna nodded, “mine's a bit less complex.”

“Let me see?”

The Faunus drew from her bag a white and green short sword with the strangest blade she'd ever seen; ninety percent of the diamond shaped blade was hollow. Next came a brown, fingerless gloves which Luna slid onto her right hand, a dial on the back revolving through dust types as her aura passed through it. Holding her hand out, palm up, the focus in her hand generated an arrow made of stone.

Holding the sword in her left hand, she pressed a button which caused the blade to split in half and slide around the hilt to form the arms of a bow, the string appearing from between the two halves of the blade's tip.

“Meet Equinox, she’s not very flashy, but she gets the job done.”

“Cool, archers are so rare these days.”

“Yeah, it’s kind of a lost art among hunters, but it seemed more challenging than just having a gun… no offense.”

“None taken.”

As much as the girls would have loved to stay up talking for a few more hours, it was getting late and they both knew they would need to be at their best the next day. Reluctantly, they turned in for the night when one of the teachers called for lights out.

The next morning the new students rose from their sleeping bags and readied themselves for the entrance exam, each donning combat gear and weapons that varies from person to person. Very few huntsmen or huntresses wore proper armor, most preferring to rely on their skills and aura to keep them in the fight.

On the boys side of the wall temporarily erected in the gym, Chrys pulled a grey denim vest on over the hooded yellow shirt he was wearing, strapping black shin-guards on over grey jeans and lacing up a pair of black boots; his weapons, together called Ankathi, strapped to his forearms.

Ankathi were a pair of golden brackets, each containing a single telescoping, double-edged blade that extends from above his wrist; parallel to the back of his hand. Each bracer was also equipped with a multi-purpose harpoon gun mounted above the blade's sheath, which could double as a whip. The pair were unique in that Chrys controlled them mentally, the fingerless gloves her wore under them covered in electrodes that would turn his thoughts into commands, the technology based on Atlesian cybernetics.

William wore a polished steel cuirass and dark navy blue jacket over a white button-up, with silvery pauldrons to match strapped over the jacket. Shining metal greaves were buckled over black jeans, boots covering his feet. A belt worn diagonally across his chest, shoulder to hip, supported his weapon dubbed Vanguard. Vanguard was a longsword and greatshield he could combine to form a fearsome battleaxe, the shield serving as the axe head and the sword as the haft; the whole thing about six feet in length.

On the girl's side, Luna and Danica were likewise suiting up for the day; the Faunus buckling a set of leather armor dyed the hue of the trees whose name her family bore on over her outfit composed of a white shirt, green skirt and white stockings. A cloak in the same deep green as her armorwas fastened around her neck, with a pair of armored leather boots to match her armor covering her feet and protecting her shins. She buckled her collapsed bow to her hip and slipped the dust-arrow-generating glove onto her right hand.

Danica's combat gear was as suitable for fighting as it was for meeting the street racing crews from back home. A leather jacket the color of the red gemstone her family was named for which ended at the bottom of her ribcage went on over a white tank-top, a pale grey pair of skinny jeans covered her legs, the bottoms pulled down over The tops of her black boots. The holster for her weapon was secured on her back with a white leather belt that circled her waist and secured with a silver buckle. She tied her long auburn hair back in a loose pony before slipping a pair of black fingerless gloves onto her hands.

Out in the grounds the new students gathered, Ozpin and Goodwitch standing near the cliffs over looking the ominous Emerald Forest. When the last stragglers had finally joined them the headmaster cleared his throat and began to speak. He revealed to them the terms of their entry exam; everyone would be dropped into the forest below, they would be pairing off with the first person they made eye contact with and proceeding to a set of ruins where they would find a set of artifacts, each pair would take one. Ozpin concluded by saying that the person they partner with today would be their partner until they graduate if not longer, then bade them all step onto a multitude of steel plates lining the cliff edge.

Chrys stepped onto the plate nearest him, rolling his shoulders before settling into the stance he practised at Signal; the pose akin to a runner at the start of a race.

“Bellissimo, let’s do this,” he grinned in anticipation, the pneumatic late under him launching him upwards and towards the forest below.

Then it was just him and the wind rushing in his ears.


	2. Formation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Things get interesting as Beacon's entrance exam gets under way.

Chrys let out a rebel yell as he soared over the trees of the Emerald Forest, adrenaline pumping in his veins. He glanced to his right as a familiar, boisterous blonde rocketed past him with a pair of shots from her gauntlets. As much as he would've loved to chase her, his own momentum was flagging, the trees getting ever closer. He caught a tree branch in his hands as he fell, swinging around the branch before letting go and impaling the next trunk of a second tree with one of his blades; hanging there a moment before allowing himself to slide to the ground.

  
Retracting the blades, he took a moment to get his bearings, hearing his peers whoop and holler overhead as they descended.

  
Danica grinned to herself as she plummeted towards the canopy, drawing her weapon and deploying the parallel blades half-way. The now hook-shaped edge of her weapon caught one of the trees, the red head's shoulders shrieking in protest as she spiraled downwards around the tree. She hit the ground, rolled, and took off running in what she assumed was the right direction.

  
The Vacuo native found herself entering a clearing, knee-high grass covering the ground around her. As she approached the center she heard a voice above her about “Watch out!”, then she was knocked off her feet and back a few yards as a small tornado exploded in the clearing. It took Danica a second to get back to her feet, now seeing Luna descending in the eye of the storm that served to slow her fall, one hand tugging at the hem of her skirt to keep at in place; the vortex dissipating when her feet touched the ground.

  
“Well,” the red head smirked, “you certainly know how to make an entrance.”

  
“Sorry about that,” Luna replied a little sheepishly.

  
“It's cool, partner.” Danica assured her.

  
The fluffy deer's tail grown out of her lower-back stood up straight as Luna came to the realization that the two of them would be partners from then on, a grin spreading across her face. “Well then, partner, let's get going.”

  
Elsewhere, William smashed through the last tree in his way as he fell, shield raised in front of him. Landing shield first, he rolled to dissipate the force of impact before returning to his feet and brushing the splinters from his normally well kept grey mane of hair. It was only then he realized he wasn’t alone, another boy with golden blonde hair and eyes the color of bronze was entering the clearing, a golden blade extending from just above each wrist.

  
Chrys had heard the ruckus and came running, expecting a fight if nothing else. All he found was a student with shoulder length grey hair and a physique that almost made him self-conscious. Almost.

  
“Not what I was expecting, amico,” Chrys called as he moved toward his new teammate, his accent betraying his Mistrali heritage, “but I’ll take a Slate over an Ursa any day.”

  
“I’m not surprised you know my name, lad,” Will chuckled, “but I think I should probably know yours.”

  
“Chrys Xifos, martial artist and ladies man,” the blonde answered with a playful bow.

  
“Right, nice to meet you Chrys,” the Atlesian nodded, “call me Will.”

  
Retracting his blades, Chrys gestured for William to follow him, not eager to be out in the forest if it started to get dark. They didn’t get far, the pair running into a pack of the wolf-like beowolves that had also been drawn to the sound of Will's less-than-subtle landing. Chrys swore in Mistrali, raising his fists in preparation for a fight, William drawing his blade to the blonde's left.

  
“Bring it on you bastards,” the Atlesian grinned.

  
The first few creatures charged, teeth barred, one was swatted aside by Will's shield, the next cleaved from shoulder to hip with surprising speed. Chrys ducked past the slashing claws of one beast and stabbed it twice in the chest with his blades before kicking it backwards into the beowolf coming up behind it. Turning on his heel, he fired a dart at the monster Will had knocked aside, piercing its shoulder. Chrys reeled the beast in and onto his blade, the barbed end tearing free on impact.

  
Spotting one of the creatures coming up behind the blonde, William fired a slashing arc of kinetic energy that blew a hole in its side and sent it flying back towards the trees. The Atlesian side stepped one that leaped at him, gripping his blade with both hands and slicing it cleanly in half.

  
The two boys relaxed as the clearing grew quiet, the threat seeming to have been eliminated. Moving to sheathed his blade within its spot in his shield, Will was caught off guard as an Ursa charged him from the bushes; the Atlesian locked in a battle of strength with the bear-like monstrosity.

  
Distracted by the new opponent, Chrys didn’t see the Beowolf that now leaped from the underbrush and pinned him to the dirt. This one was strong, he needed both hands to keep the snapping jaws away from his throat.

  
Just as his strength was beginning to fail, a shot rang out in the forest, a single round punching a hole clean through the canine-esque creature's head, the body going limp. Shoving the dead beast off of him he rushed to Will's aid, jumping on the Ursa's back and stabbing it repeatedly. The Atlesian finished it off with a swing of his sword that liberated its head from its shoulders. Their foes slain, the blonde began looking for the source of the gunshot that had freed him.

  
Rifle still in hand, Danica jogged into view, Luna not far behind her. Luna's eyes lit up happily as she saw Chrys, the pair having become close friends during their days at Signal Academy.

  
“Chrys!” she exclaimed.

  
“The one and only,” he chuckled before eying the red head, “who's your friend?”

  
“I'm Danica, call me Dani,” the taller girl answered.

  
“Chrys Xifos, nice to meet you,” he answered, “and grazie bella, I don’t think I could've kept that mutt at bay for much longer.”

  
“Not a problem,” she said, knowing enough Northern Mistrali to recognize he was thanking her... though she couldn’t place the second word he had uttered; she only knew what she did from the bad action films her uncle loved.

  
Suddenly the odd man out, William introduced himself to the other girl before saying, “perhaps you two would care to join us until we get out of here?”

  
“Sounds good big guy,” Danica answered.  
“Well then, let’s get moving.”

  
It took the better part of an hour to find their destination, an ancient stone structure standing at the edge of a ravine, composed of crumbling stone columns with a single round wall to the rear. A number of stone pedestals stood inside, each having previously held an over-sized chess piece in either black or gold; the only ones remaining were a matching pair of golden pawns. Danica and Chrys each grabbed one, the “relics" stowed in pockets or pouches before returning to their respective partners.

  
“Alright, we have what we came for… now what?” Danica wondered aloud.

  
“Back to the school I suppose,” Will shrugged, starting to sheath his blade.

  
The four teens froze as the ground trembled beneath their feet, the sound of a distant explosion drawing their eyes to the battle raging between eight of their class mates and a pair of massive Grimm; one a Nevermore, a monstrous raven the size of a fighter jet. The other was a Deathstalker, a massive scorpion with claws that could crush cars with ease and a tail as long as a bus; the beast's top side covered in thick bone armor.

  
As part of the ancient stone bridge the other students fought upon fell into the ravine, something below shrieked. The ground began to shake, an audible rumbling getting louder. They watched in abject horror as a Grimm resembling a massive tarantula emerged from the chasm; standing two stories tall with legs like ebony columns covered in ivory spikes and thick plates of bone armor. Its body was covered in similar spikes and stark white plates, with glowing red eyes like hellish coals. Venom dripped from a pair of fangs resting above either side of its toothy maw.

  
“Bloody hell, what is that thing?” Will swore.

  
“Aside from ugly, you mean?” Chrys answered with a nervous laugh.

  
“Aye.”

  
“It's called an Arachne,” Luna informed them.

  
“So big and ugly has a name, let’s kill it already.” Danica grinned, drawing her blade and charging the beast.

  
The other three glanced between each other before running after the red head.

  
The creature shrieked in rage as Danica approached. The red head leapt to the right as a massive leg struck like lightning, shattering the ground where she had stood a split second earlier. Turning on her heel, she slashed at the massive appendage, her blade biting into stiff chitin but not piercing through.

  
Will saw the beast going for another swing, and redoubled his efforts to close the gap. He slid to a stop next to the red head with his shield raised. The massive leg came down and glanced off his shield, the Atlesian’s arm going numb.

  
Chrys turned to issue an order to Luna as they got, finding the Faunus way ahead of him; already knocking a trio of ice arrows and taking aim at the creature's limbs. Three of its legs froze to the ground, momentarily impeding its movement, the giant arachnid managing to pull itself free with relative ease.

  
“Go for the joints!” Chrys shouted to his comrades, dodging past a glob of sticky webbing the Arachne spat at him. He used the spikes on the creature’s leg as hand holds to climb up the massive limb instead of slashing at the thick hide from the ground. Reaching the knee, he leaped into the air brought both blades down in a spinning slash that nearly severed the leg at the vulnerable joint.

  
The creature wailed in anguish and rage, the injured leg unable to support its weight.  
Following the blonde’s lead, Will backed off and plunged his sword into his shield, reversing his grip and switching the weapon into its axe mode on the backswing.

  
“Give us a boost, Dani!” he shouted while running toward the red head who immediately turned and made a step for him with her hands.

  
He felt her heave him up as he jumped off her hands, the maneuver adding the extra height he needed. The Atlesian swung his axe downwards, spinning end-over-end once before his blade sliced through one of the creature’s hips, severing the leg entirely in a spray of pitch black ichor.

  
Thinking quickly, Luna fired a rapid volley of fire arrows at the arachnid's face. Each projectile exploded into an intense fireball on impact, searing its lidless eyes and rendering it blind. The combination of attacks enraged the beast, causing it to lash out blindly, hoping to rid itself of the pests that it had assumed would be an easy meal.

  
Chrys and Dani continued working on the legs, the blonde severing one in quick order, with the red head severing one of her own and finishing the one Chrys had crippled. The beast was struggling to stay standing at this point, half of its legs forcibly amputated. Chrys decided it was time to finish it. Taking inspiration from an old sci-fi flick, he fired a dart into a gap in the creature's armor before throwing himself off the side.

  
With the dart in place, he used the cable connecting it to his wrist to swing around the creature, entrapping the remaining legs. He hit the ground and pulled with everything he had, the loops of steel around the spider's legs constricting and causing it to fall forward onto its face.

  
Without hesitation, William and Danica closed on it, delivering a pair of strikes that cleaved clean through the joint that connected head to abdomen. The creature spasmed once and was still, the corpse beginning to evaporate.

  
“I hate spiders,” William stated with a visible shudder, the revelation drawing a laugh from Luna given the context.

  
“Let’s get out of here,” Danica replied, brushing the dried gore from her clothes.

  
Back at the school the four of them handed in the pair of relics they had collected before being ushered into the main hall like the day before. Ozpin took the stage once all the students had been gathered, the headmaster declaring that he would be announcing the teams; it was commonplace for huntsmen and huntresses to operate in four man squads, so it made sense that the schools would use a similar practice.

  
The four teens were called forward after a team of all girls, dubbed Team MLON, Ozpin calling each of them forward by name.  
“Chrys Xifos, Danica Carnelian, Luna Pines, William Slate,” the headmaster began as they took the stage, “The four of you retrieved the white Pawn pieces. From this day forward, you will work together as Team CLWD, led by… Chrys Xifos.”

  
“I won’t let you down,” the blonde told his new teammates with a grin amid the applause.

  
“Aye, I’ll hold you to that, lad,” Will smirked.

  
The newly formed team descended the stairs opposite the ones they had entered from to take their place among the rest of the students. Next came Team CRDL, followed by Teams JNPR and RWBY; Chrys and Luna cheering for the young miss Rose when she was announced the team's leader, the pair knowing the sisters from their time at Signal.

  
William made a face when he saw how Weiss reacted to not being the leader, knowing fully well that the heiress would hate taking orders from someone like Ruby… not to mention what Jacque would say when he found out.

  
The next few hours saw a grand tour and orientation lead by Miss Goodwitch, the new students getting to meet members of staff and see the facilities they would be using for the next four years to further their abilities as leaders and warriors. After orientation came dinner in the spacious dining hall; students able to pick and choose from a wide selection of foodstuffs including a plethora of vegetarian options, much to the delight of the team's resident deer Faunus.

  
Conversation was just as plentiful as the food, the newly formed team taking the chance to ask each other questions about their abilities and hobbies. Danica was especially interested in how Chrys had known to target the Arachne's legs.

  
“Photographic memory,” he explained, “Mia Madre told me about a fight she had with one a while back; she and her team used a similar strategy.”

  
“Lucky we had you with us then,” she nodded, “it would’ve taken me a few minutes to figure it out on my own.”

  
There was no need to say what they were all thinking, that as a Hunter, a few minutes could make the difference between life and death.

  
Luna hasn’t said much to Will that whole day, even now she was avoiding making eye contact with the Atlesian.

  
“Everything alright, Luna?” the company heir finally asked.

  
“Yeah I just,” the Faunus began, pausing for a second before voicing what was on her mind, “you don’t have a problem with me being a Faunus, do you?”

  
William was caught off guard by the question, though it was a fair concern, “Of course not, why do you ask?”

  
“Well, most members of Atlas' elite tend to be…”

  
“Bigots? Aye, that’s true,” Will nodded, “but I’ve always believed in treating people equally, even if they have tails or fuzzy ears.”

  
Luna relaxed at his words, “That’s a relief, hopefully you and I can set an example that our species can work together, as equals.”

  
“Aye, my thoughts exactly.”

  
Chrys sighed in relief as well, happy that he wouldn’t have to worry about any undue hostility between the two.

  
After dinner, the four teens got their first look at what would serve as their home away from home for the next four years. The dorm was cozy to put it politely; their luggage had been stacked in the center of the room. On either side of the room was a bunk bed shoved against the wall, and a pair of desks sat near the window on the opposite wall.  
A door on the left opened into the attached bathroom, a pair of sinks on the left wall under a large mirror sat opposite a quartet of stalls; two showers, and two toilets.

  
“It's no hotel suite, but it’ll do.” Will commented.

  
Approaching the desks at the back of the room, Luna was the first to notice the neatly folded stacks of uniforms laid on top, a note with each of their names placed on top of a specific set of clothes.

  
“Oh good,” Danica commented with a look of disgust, “standardized uniforms, I hate dress codes.”

  
“I’m not thrilled either, but at least this makes getting ready in the morning easier,” Chrys shrugged, picking up one of the brown uniforms designated to him.

  
Most teams would've debated on who got which bunk, luckily William voluntarily grabbed the bottom bunk of one, Luna settling for the bottom bunk of the other; leaving the top bunks for Chrys and Danica. That decided, the teens got ready for bed.  
William and Chrys stepped into the attached bathroom to change to give the girls some privacy, though all four knowing that with a mixed team they would eventually have to get used to changing around each other. For now however, they would give each other the privacy they needed.

  
Exhausted as they were from the exam, sleep found each of the teens easily when they finally turned in for the night; sore muscles relieved to finally be allowed to rest and heal. If today was any indication of what was to come, they would need all the rest they could get.


End file.
